This invention relates generally to podium-like structures for use by one in a standing position and more particularly is directed to a low cost portable combination lectern/voting booth of sturdy construction and high stability which is easily disassembled and packaged for storage or shipment.
Foldable types of voting booths are well known in the prior art and generally are comprised of an upper, lectern-like, enclosed structure affording privacy for the voter. Examples of this type of voting enclosure may be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,333,766 to Crossland et al, 3,531,171 to Boyer, and 3,544,184 to Laws. These structures are collapsible and generally comprised of a bottom wall and a plurality of upstanding side walls foldably coupled to the bottom wall and to each other. Voting booths of this type generally require a supporting structure, such as a table, since no provision for the elevated use of this type of voting booth is typically provided.
In some voting booths provision is made for supporting the enclosed voting area by an attached or integrated support structure. An example of a voting booth of this type may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,389,947 to Kelley et al, wherein is described a foldable voting booth forming a plurality of separate compartments supported by a number of foldable legs. A similar structure is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,361,090 to Howlett which relates to a shielded desk having a top with a back panel and side shields with each shield having a fixed wing and a hinged side panel and box-type shelves which can be used in either of two positions. This desk structure includes foldable supporting legs and the entire structure may be folded into a compact, portable unit. U.S. Pat. No. 3,455,255 to Sanchez discloses a foldable supporting structure having a plurality of legs as used in the two aforementioned patents. The structures disclosed in the aforementioned patents are complicated, expensive and are somewhat heavy thus limiting their portability. Thus, these structures would have limited utility as voting booths in view of the infrequent use of such structures, the relative complexity in setting up and taking down these enclosures and their relative expense.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,322,478 to Brown discloses a voting booth comprised of corrugated cardboard material which may be folded along predetermined lines to form a three-sided structure into which the voter walks for casting his ballot. The cardboard structure includes a shelf supported from a pair of supporting columns all of which are integrally coupled to the three vertical partitions comprising the voting booth. This voting booth configuration virtually entirely encompasses the voter in providing more privacy than generally required in the typical polling place and thus represents an overly complicated and excessive use of structural materials.
The present invention is intended to overcome the aforementioned limitations by providing an inexpensive, portable voting booth of sturdy construction which affords voter privacy and which is easily converted into a conventional speaker's lectern for general use.